Multi-million dollar stormwater project gets government funding boost

A major injection of government funding will boost stormwater and flooding management in Sault Ste. Marie.

About $3 million in funding from the federal and provincial governments was rolled out on Monday. The federal government is contributing $2.1 million, while the province is adding about $1 million.

The project means over the next six weeks, a section of Pim Street between McNabb Street and MacDonald Avenue will be closed.

A major inconvenience for many, but city officials feel the results will be worth it.

"There's been a history of flooding on McNabb Street, through some of those properties, before it gets to the ravine,” said Carl Rumiel, a City of Sault Ste. Marie engineer.

“If you ask them, I'm sure they would say we need an infrastructure upgrade. It's just old infrastructure."

That structure upgrade will come in the form of a new storm sewer.

Terry Moar lives in the area where the work will be done and he said he couldn't be happier with the news.

"It's great,” said Moar.

“They've been promising it for two or three years. To do this end of McNabb Street and there is flooding west of Brien (Avenue) on McNabb when it does rain hard, so I think it needs it"

The upgrade won’t be cheap, but the city is receiving a lot of help coving the cost.

"The province is giving us around a million dollars, federal government is giving us around two million dollars for this specific project. That's $3 million. We're coming up with the other $2.5 million,” explained Christian Provenzano, Sault Ste. Marie mayor.

The sault isn't the only Northern Ontario community to receive funding for these kinds of project. Over 20 other places got money; including Timmins, which is getting over a million dollars.

The Sault's project will start immediately. The city expects work to be finished next spring.